Enter my den, take a seat, and let me tell you a story or two.

Daily Ritual

When I saw this post, I immediately thought of my grandmother. If ever anyone had a daily routine, it was her. 🙂

Every morning, she’d rise out of bed before the dawn. She’d glance over to Grandpa’s side of the bed and see that he was already up and most likely outside milking the cow.

She’d traipse to the kitchen and fill the coffee pot with water. It was a huge coffee pot but it certainly seemed endless with the coffee.Once the water was boiling, she added heaping tablespoons of coffee. She grabbed the same old pan she used for cornbread each morning. It was a black square pan. She mixed up the bread by memory and popped it in the oven. The same large cast iron skillet sat atop the stove. It was worn after many years of using it. There was always a large pot of oatmeal for breakfast, as well. When it came time to wash the dishes, she just knocked the crumbs out of the cornbread pan and put it away. She never let her skillet touch the dish water. She said it wasn’t good for it.

After the dishes were washed, dried and put away and the kitchen was spotless, Grandma always made the beds. She made her bed and then she went upstairs to make my uncle’s bed. She’d fluff the pillows and straighten out the sheets. Once she was back downstairs, she’d sweep the floors with the same old dust mop. Her mop had a long handle. There was an old towel with a hole in it down over the cloth of the mop. She’d go back upstairs to sweep the floors up there.

Once a week, she’d do the laundry. I remember her using those old time clothes pins that did not have any clasps. These were just wooden pins that slid down over the clothes on the line.

As busy as Grandma was, she found time to bake and cook. Grandpa had such a sweet tooth. Pies, cookies, and cakes were found in abundance in the kitchen. She used to bake at least six loaves of bread, as well.

If it was during the summer, she had a huge garden. You name it, it was probably had been planted in her garden. Anything from eggplant to cabbage to strawberries and zucchini. We picked many a pea and green beans from her garden. She always had canning to do. Pick (I don’t know how many) five gallon buckets of corn from the field before it was too hot.

The routine for meals were always the same. Breakfast no later than 6 am. Lunch was at 9. Dinner was at noon. Then, of course, we had to have that afternoon coffee and sandwich usually followed with pie or cookies of some sort. Supper had to be between 5:30 and 6 pm. There was always ice cream or cereal to eat at bedtime. Ten o’clock was considered late.

If it was during the winter, you would find her behind her sewing machine or in the front room quilting. She could sew a shirt for Grandpa in a day’s time between cooking and baking and cleaning.

I do not remember Grandma ever sleeping past the break of dawn. Unless, of course she was ill. And even then, she’d force herself out of bed.

Grandma was raised as a farmer’s daughter and became a farmer’s wife. She was not scared of hard work. She was a strong, hardworking woman. I miss her everyday. Thank you, Grandma, for all that you taught me. 🙂